Talks have heated up for Arizona defenceman Keith Yandle because teams see the possibility they can have him for two playoff runs before he becomes a UFA. There’s a belief the Detroit Red Wings, who have been looking for a blueliner all year, are making a hard push on Yandle because he fits the bill to what they’re looking at ... Don’t scoff at those rumours about Chicago centre Patrick Sharp being available. Sure, they’ve been denied in the past, but teams are certainly talking about him and there’s a belief the Capitals are the ones pushing the buttons of Hawks’ GM Stan Bowman to see if they can entice him to make a deal. Sharp’s name is out there. A Sharp deal might make sense in the summer, especially with Patrick Kane gone for three months, but if the Hawks are listening they’re going to have plenty of interest. Sharp would be the kind of guy Ottawa GM Bryan Murray would show interest because he fits the bill of what the Senators want in a top-six forward.

...

St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong is in the category where he’d like to do something before the deadline. It might not be anything major, but the Blues wouldn’t mind adding some forward depth. He made a tour through the New York area last week which had people buzzing. While there are still those who wonder about the club’s goaltending, it appears St. Louis will go into the playoffs with Brian Elliott and give him the chance to prove himself last year after the experiment to get Ryan Miller didn’t work last year. Make no mistake, there’s a lot of pressure and expectations on Armstrong to get past the first round this spring and that’s why the name of centre Patrik Berglund is out there. The issue is he has two years left at $3.7 million and teams aren’t big on term.

“We offered Kevin what we believed was a generous and fair contract. Unfortunately, he felt it was in his best interests to become a free agent. We are looking forward to the compensatory draft pick we are receiving and are focused on the excitement surrounding the start of training camp next month.”

Per the National Hockey League’s Collective Bargaining Agreement Article 8.3(b), the Blackhawks will receive a second-round pick (54th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Hayes is a 6'4," 216-pound forward who graduated from Boston College having registered 27 goals, 38 assists and 65 points over the course of only 40 games played, and as SI's Allan Muir noted on Friday morning, the Calgary Flames, Phoenix Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins (the "local angle" for the Boston native) and Florida Panthers (for whom Kevin's brother Jimmy plays) are all in the mix...

But there are another 24 teams that will heavily pursue Hayes as well, and with the rookie cap-max deal and signing/performance bonuses being equal, the 22-year-old power forward can pretty much pick and choose wherever he wants to play based upon which team he feels will be the best fit.

If he's looking for promises of playing time, Calgary, Phoenix and Florida can probably deliver there, but you can be sure that each and every NHL team--including the spurned Blackhawks--will "wine and dine" Hayes and his representatives.

The Chicago Blackhawks are holding their annual summer fan convention--something I wish other teams would emulate--in the Windy City this weekend, so the warm fuzzies have begun in earnest.

Capgeek will tell you that there's a $2.216 million elephant in the room, however, an elephant that will ensure that not every player who attends the convention will start the season with the Hawks, and NHL.com's Brian Hedger discussed the Hawks' cap overage with GM Stan Bowman on Friday:

"We certainly have to be ready to go by October, that's the goal," Bowman said Friday at the annual Blackhawks Convention at the Chicago Hilton. "A lot of things change between now and then. You have to display some patience."

Bowman is setting a good example, but fans and media aren't as willing to wait. The fact one, or more, players won't be with the organization much longer will be a storyline for the Blackhawks until something happens.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are going to sign massive contract extensions this summer, possibly as early as July 1. That’s basically a given. It’s also highly likely they’ll do so on the same day, as they did in 2009.

“We’ve been kind of going hand-in-hand almost our entire careers,” Toews said Monday. “When we came in as rookies, and we’ve just been included in the same discussion for a lot of things, namely our second contract, and probably this time again. The chances of that are good. But at the end of the day, he’s got his own needs and his own family, and you have to respect that, as well.”

Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman told the Sun-Times earlier this month that he planned to have the deals done by July 1, the first day the two stars and franchise cornerstones are eligible to sign them. Toews didn’t want to put a timetable on it, saying, “We’re in discussions right now, but as far as I know, nothing is concrete.” Both Toews and Kane are represented by agent Pat Brisson.

Updated 2x at 9:19 PM: Paul did a helluva job of covering the "gist" of the GM's meetings, but here are some items that I noticed on Twitter and feel merit mentioning, starting with Craig Custance's chat with Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman...

“I don’t know if I’m in the minority, but I’m hesitant; there’s no accountability for these random people making these predictions the cap is going to be $80 million. I might be wrong. I think there’s folly. There’s so many factors that go into the salary cap.

“Because there’s a new television deal, I’m not going to assume it’s going to be $80 million. I don’t operate that way. If you base your assumptions on predictions and you’re wrong, I can’t say, ‘They said it was going to be $80 million.’ I’m going to wait to see where it goes. I think it’s safe to say it’s going to go up. It’s think it’s a little bit irresponsible to say where it’s going to be unless you have intricate knowledge of the cap.”

-Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman on the future of the salary cap. Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago has more from Bowman on the cap in regards to siging Toews and Kane.

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today a two-year contract extension for Vice President and General Manager Stan Bowman, which will run through the 2017-18 National Hockey League season.

“Stan has been an integral part of our organizational success and we are proud to reward him with a well-deserved extension,” said Blackhawks President and CEO John McDonough. “From the amateur levels to our team in Chicago, Stan has a great system in place as we all strive for consistent excellence throughout the organization.”

Bowman, 40, is entering his 13th season with the Blackhawks organization and fourth as the team’s vice president and general manager, a position he was appointed to on Sept. 7, 2010. He was originally named the ninth general manager in franchise history on July 14, 2009 and has overseen two Stanley Cup champion teams since that time (2010 and 2013).

“Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will be here forever. I can’t predict what the salary cap will be in the near future, but I can tell you that Jonathan and Patrick will be on this team. Those two players put the Blackhawks back on the map, they’re up in a couple years, and whatever the numbers are, we’ll figure out the details. The notion that the money we’re spending now will affect our ability to keep Jonathan and Kane…it’s a non-issue. They will be here no matter what.”

-Stan Bowman, GM of the Chicago Blackhawks. More from Bob Verdi at the Blackhawks' website.

There is an extraordinary situation in Chicago where head coach Joel Quenneville and general manager Stan Bowman now have an uneasy peace after months of conflict both in and out of the public eye.

Both Bowman and Quenneville will now go about their jobs under the demanding presence of Blackhawks president John McDonough, who does not hesitate to put the boots to anyone he finds lacking. Just ask Dale Tallon, whose thanks for putting together the team that eventually won the 2010 Stanley Cup was a one-way trip to Florida.

If the Blackhawks recover from two consecutive exits from the first round of the NHL playoffs since their Cup win, Quenneville and Bowman will live happily ever after, albeit with the odd forced grin. If not, Quenneville and maybe even Bowman will have to answer to McDonough.

The uneasy truce was necessary because the tension between Quenneville and Bowman was starting to affect the players.

Here are some of the highlights of Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman’s press conference Wednesday during clean-out day at the United Center:

On the season overall:

“When you don’t reach your goal, which is to win the Stanley Cup, it’s a big disappointment. I can speak for myself as well as the organization that we set out every year to win the Stanley Cup and we didn’t do that this year. So, it’s a disappointment clearly.

“I think you have to look at the whole season, not just the ending. Ultimately that’s what we’re focused on right now, because it’s so fresh in our minds and we didn’t reach our goal, but we did have a lot of good things that happened this year as well. Obviously, getting 100 points in a very tough division, we saw some young players emerge and I think the future’s very bright for our organization.

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today a three-year contract extension for Vice President/General Manager Stan Bowman, which runs through the end of the 2015-16 National Hockey League season.

“I am very proud of the direction that Stan has taken our hockey operations group in from the moment he took over the role,” Blackhawks Team President and CEO John McDonough said. “Stan’s leadership and collaboration with the entire hockey operations group has developed a strong foundation and gives us the continuity we need as we strive for consistent excellence.”

“We should know the definitive (cap) number very soon (but) it’s going to be in that range,” Bowman said Wednesday. “It’s certainly going up from where it was ($59.4 million). We’re not in the salary-cap crunch that we were in. We’re able to obviously do some different things and we’re not as stuck as we were a year ago.”

The summer following the Hawks’ Stanley Cup championship in 2010 was marked by the departures of 10 players from that that title-winning team as Bowman battled the salary cap. But things are different this time around.

“It’s a nice change, to be honest,” said Bowman, who is in Minnesota for this weekend’s NHL Draft. “We’re not trying to deal players to get to the cap. We have room to add players. Having that additional flexibility is going to help us not only in the summer but during the season when there may be opportunities to pick up players. But you have to have cap space to do that.

The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a five-year contract extension with defenseman Brent Seabrook.

“Brent is a very important member of our organization and we are looking forward to him being part of a core group that will be a contender for many years to come,” Blackhawks Vice President/General Manager Stan Bowman said. “We have been fortunate to have Brent as part of our family since he was a teenager and we are proud to be able to announce this news today.”

“There might be a change or two, but we believe in the group and I think there’s more to come from what we have here, and it’s starting to come. I like the way we’ve played. You have to look at the big picture; you can’t micromanage this game or that game. In general, we’ve played good hockey over the last stretch here and if we continue it bodes well, but we can always look at tweaking personnel-wise to make us even better.”

-Stan Bowman, GM of the Chicago Blackhawks. More from Stan by Tim Sassone of Between The Circles.

Let’s face it, there’s pressure that comes with being Scotty’s kid and being named after the trophy you’re chasing. Much like their young general manager, the Blackhawks have embraced expectations for greatness rather than wilt under them. Together, they have enjoyed an unforgettable ride.

See, he was there when Blackhawks games weren’t on local television, when they missed the playoffs six times in seven years, when they were nothing. He spent four years as a special assistant to the general manager, whatever that means, and two more as director of hockey operations. He took over for GM Dale Tallon last July.

Now, at age 36, having twice beaten cancer, the Canisius High grad is four wins against the Flyers away from winning it all. The series starts Saturday in hockey-crazed Chicago. The Blackhawks haven’t won the Cup since 1960-61, the longest drought for an Original Six franchise. They have been to the finals once since 1972-73.

“There are passionate sports fans here,” he said. “The Bulls had a great run for a number of years. The Cubs are always beloved. You have the Bears and the White Sox. There are a lot of things in sports that capture people’s attention. For a while, the hockey team wasn’t one of them. Over the past couple of years, you could see it building.”

Scotty Bowman has his name on the Stanley Cup a record 11 times, and he very much wants a 12th because it would be right next to the name of his son, Stan. Anybody want to bet against him?

“It would be a special thing,” the 76-year-old Bowman said Thursday night from his residence in Amherst, N.Y., while watching the first period of the Canadiens-Flyers game. “But, one thing at a time. It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow night with San Jose.”

Bowman probably would be with his son in Chicago, but he is staying close by another of his five children at the moment in Amherst. His son, David, is under hospice care, and it’s a tough time for him and his wife of more than 40 years, Suella. David was born with hydrocephalus, a serious neurological disorder that left him partially blind and mentally disabled.

Stan, the general manager of the Blackhawks, is just as affected by his brother’s condition, and the team knows he could be called away at any time. But soldiering through difficult personal situations has been a hallmark of all the Bowman family.

Already there have been whispers of the Hawks possibly getting involved in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes should the Atlanta Thrashers decide before the deadline they can’t re-sign their star winger.

Bowman didn’t come out and say flatly the Hawks would have no interest in Kovalchuk.

“I’m not going to comment on individual players, but what we’re going to do over the next few weeks is meet and figure out where we think it makes sense to add, whether it’s that type of a player or a different style or a different position,” Bowman said.

“At that point we’ll see what the price is to get that guy, and we’ll see if it’s going to make our team better. I don’t want to rule anything in or rule anything out because we really haven’t gotten down the path that far.”

According to Bowman, the Hawks have enough money under the cap to add a player without giving up one.

The Chicago Blackhawks have promoted Stan Bowman to General Manager and have reassigned Dale Tallon to the position of Senior Advisor, Hockey Operations.

“We are very proud to promote Stan to his new position of General Manager,” Blackhawks President John McDonough said. “He brings a comprehensive knowledge of hockey, along with a tremendous intellect and methodical approach to building a successful team and sustaining success. His involvement with our organization and strong understanding of our roster and our system create a very natural and strong transition. Dale will continue to be an important part of our organization, as he has been for many years.”

By the time he retired as Red Wings coach in 2002, he had brought the organization three Stanley Cups. His success earned him a lifetime contract with the Red Wings, where everyone thought he’d wind down his career as a consultant to Detroit G.M. Ken Holland, an arrangement that allowed him to scout games from his home in Tampa. It was a sweet deal.

But Devellano got a phone call last summer that he says shocked him.

“Jimmy,” Bowman told him, “I love the Red Wings. I love Detroit. However, I’ve had a request from my son wanting me to join him in Chicago.”

Scotty’s lifetime deal with the Red Wings ended—at age 74.

Stan’s wife, Sue, remembers her husband struggling with how to express his desire to work together in Chicago with his dad. He didn’t want to pressure his father, but at the same time he wanted him to know how much it would mean to him.

“You kind of have to tell him something,” Sue says. “Don’t beg him or anything. Tell him what you’re thinking.”